M HKA Ensembles

Photography, 120 x 180 cm.

Collection: Collection M HKA, Antwerp (Inv. no. BK7265).

Dirk Braeckman’s photographs capture the essence of an experience, a space and the everyday reality. These photos are part of a series of four large-format black-and-white photos, mounted on metal. They are fragments, isolated in time and space, with no trace of human presence.

The artist does not accentuate any elements of the image, but treats them all as equal. The images are frontal shots that claim their place in the room and obstruct any view of an underlying world. The recurrent dark and drab tones create a mysterious effect, and the grainy surface texture (caused by the enlargement from a small negative) makes the overall image blurred.

Braeckman’s titles do not give us any point of reference. They are a personal code that refers to the place where the picture was taken, with whom and the year. Braeckman hopes that the code allows you to reenter his work each time you look at it.